Glass Cannon
by IEnka'tsuI
Summary: Having learned the truth at far too young an age, the 3rd Hokage thought himself fortunate the young blonde retreated to the safety of books. Ten years later, the old man found a solution to this hikkikomori-brat.
1. Chapter 1

The early-morning sun shone down brightly upon the village hidden in the leaves. Though mere minutes after dawn, a great many individuals had already commenced their activities. Darting through the rooftops, the ninja of the village began their commute; even as the civilians themselves echoed the action upon the roads.

It was within moments, that a shrill whine erupted in the still-darkened bedroom of one particular individual. An eternity later, the bundle of bedsheets began to stir. Muttering soon joined the alarm as a pale arm grasped blindly towards the infernal contraption. It missed, and a precariously perched stack of literary devices collapsed upon the clock, muting its tones. In seconds, previously interrupted sleep was resumed.

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The day continued on, as any other. The once-low orb of sunlight rose to full prominence, and it was at the crack of noon that the previously mentioned bedsheets stirred once again.

The figure sat up, blonde locks obscuring piercingly blue eyes, currently glaring at the intruding sun. With a muffled yawn, and a shift of their body, they stood unsteadily, mindful of the many book placed upon the foot of the bed.

"Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something...?" A moment of reflection ensued. Then a shrug "Can't be -that- important." Hidden within the largest of the two pillows, the blond withdrew a large book; paging through several sections, blue eyes fell upon the flowered bookmark.

Nearly a silent hour later, the heavy tome snapped shut, a deep sigh engulfed the blond as they looked up. The cold grip of fear lanced through the oblivious blond's spine. Upon the wall opposite the bed, across the field of books cluttering most of the visible ground, almost blocked off by a towering stack, a simple calender stood. A single day of that month was singled out. In bright-red ink, in the sloppy hand of a particular woman, a simple message was scrawled. "GENIN-TEAMS TODAY. **DON'T FORGET**"

"...oops..."

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"Settle down, class!" The scarred face of one Umino Iruka split into a grin. "Though it's unfortunate that so many of your classmates didn't pass... or didn't show up today... I want to be the first to congratulate you all on becoming Genin!"

The seventeen individuals erupted into a loud cheer. Discounting, of course, a handful of almost-always silent students.

"Yeah, we're the best, Akamaru!"

Granted, the Inuzuka tends to make up for it, the chunnin admitted.

Though an unpopular decision(to put it mildly), the addition of two full years into the academy's curriculum, worked wonders for this year's class. Undeniably, over half the current year would have failed, if not for the additional lessons.

Giving them another few moments to bask in their success, he took a breath and cast his trademark [Big-head no Jutsu] "Alright, keep it down! Time to sort you into your teams."

Glancing around, to ensure no graduates were missing, the scarred teacher began; "Team one is still in circulation, as is team two; team three will be composed of..."

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"Team seven: Uchiha, Sasuke". A muffled grunt of acknowledgement met the announcement; "Akamichi, Chouji".

All illusions of decorum, went out the window with the sonic-barrage that greeted the last member. "Haruna, Sakura"

"YEAH! True love wins again, take THAT Ino-pig!"

"-cough- Your sensei will be Hatake, Kakashi." A pained grimace crossed his(and everyone within a hundred meters) as they tried to shake the ringing from their ears.

"Team Eight: Inuzuka, Kiba; Aburame, Shino; Nara, Shikamaru. Your sensei is Yuuhi, Kurenai."

Thankfully, the mild hearing-loss was enough to blunt the majority of the over-excitable Kiba's enthusiastic shout.

"Team ten: Hyuuga, Hinata; Yamanaka, Ino. Unfortunately this team will be just two members, but our esteemed Hokage planned for this. Your sensei..." he coughed instead of repeating the words written down.

'They actually got her to...? Wow... those poor kids...' A massive sweatdrop upon the chunnin's head was all the reaction given to the situation. With a quick shake to clear his mind, he added instead "Your instructors will be here momentarily, I wish you luck."

He smiled for the last time, at his class before heading out. Leaning heavily against the closed door, he sighed to himself. 'This is always the hardest part...' His eyes closed in silent reflection, the excitable chatter in the previously-vacated room snapped him out of his stupor. A quick smile dropped onto his face, as he began to walk down the empty hallway.

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"Um... I hope we work together well, Sasuke-kun." The soft tone belied the swirling emotions in the eyes of the pink-headed girl. The silent target of her comment, one brooding Uchiha Sasuke, looked away in disgust at the obvious infatuation in his new teammate's mind. 'This is pathetic...' he voiced to himself.

"Why don't ya just leave the poor man alone, ya pink banshee?" The near-growl of annoyance came from the part-dog amongst them.

"Shut it, dog-breath!" she bellowed in reply.

"Why don't you make me, billboard-brow?"

"I'm gonna pummel you, CHA!" she advanced, murder in her eyes and fist upraised.

"With your skills? I highly doubt it you flat-chested idiot." The pink-headed girl's rival pulled out all the stops..

"What, are you blind AND stupid? How can you not see my feminine curves?" her vaguely-hilarious pose did nothing to advance her case.

"Ahaha, I feel sorry for poor Sasuke-kun... stuck with -two- men on his team." The highly-amused Yamanaka took her chance at a devastating shot.

"WHAT WAS THAT, INO-PIG?"

"Did I stutter, forehead-girl?"

"Now now, everyone..." the near-whisper of the Hyuuga's voice cut through the chatter. Amazingly, the brewing fight halted for the moment, as the calm-voiced Hinata spoke. "That -does- seem to be Uchiha-san's preference, so you might be out of luck, Yamanaka-san."

Silence.

"I don't... come across as that, do I...?" the horrified voice of the aforementioned man stammered. Pleading eyes swept across the room, and to his despair every single individual turned away from him. "You mean... everyone thinks I'm...?" He choked before completing his sentence.

Silence.

The classroom erupted a heartbeat later. Gales of laughter rattled the windows, as the triumphant Hyuuga basked in her success. Reaching into a pocket of her ever-present jacket, she pulled a small notebook out.

(Insult Uchiha's sexuality infront of crowd) [X] she marked off another on the list. Her mournful sigh clashed against the laughter of the rest. 'Why did I take that bet...' she despaired.

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The classroom door slid open with a deafening bang, cutting through the chatter like a knife through easily knifed material. "Team three? Come with me."

In quick succession, the remaining teams were called out, the last being a bearded man calling out to team-eight.

"See ya, buddy." The... slightly larger than average genin called out to his friend, the lazy-looking one, with a pinapple-shaped haircut. He replied with a nod, and a "Troublesome" as he filed out.

Fifteen minutes later, the tenth and seventh team sat in silence.

In this manner, an hour passed. The combined ire of both the blonde and pink-headed girls easily reaching the boiling point.

"At least WE know who OUR sensei is, Ino-pig!"

"As if it makes a difference, Forehead-girl?"

"You're just mad -I'm- with Sasuke-kun!"

Any further reply was cutoff by the sound of shattering glass, and the sight of... -something- rolling in. A handful of kunai shot out of the still-spinning bundle, nailing themselves to the wall; the ginormous sign unfurled proudly, the words "Arriving!" alongside "Welcome!" and various other phrases greeted the now-silent genin. A strage woman posed before it; clad in a tan trencoat, a fishnet bodysuit from neck to thigh, an orange skirt, and very spiky purple hair.

"Team ten?" she asked. She was met with a blonde's incredulous stare, and the laughter of the pink one.

Looking up at the clock, she sweatdropped as she realized her arrival was -slightly- late.

"I -asked- if you wanted a wake-up call, but noo~oo..." The five stared, as she spoke to herself. The sharp-eyed Uchiha, as well as the soft-spoken Hyuuga both came to the same realization. Not -all- the bright-white cloth was the sign, the strange woman hefted some other white object under her arm.

A plain-white dress dropped down to her shins, a long strip of blue cloth lay over the front of the material, strange patterns sown and dyed into the azure fabric; her hands tucked into the wide sleeves, embroidered pattern on either end matching up perfectly. Waist-length hair cascaded down her back in a golden wave and topped with a strange hat-like sleeping-cap... thing, shockingly blue eyes framed behind a pair of round spectacles.

Standing beside the other woman, the top of her head barely reached her companion's shoulder. She sighed to herself, casting a dark look to the too-happy woman.

"Team ten, I am known as Naruko Namikaze, and I am to be your new instructor." A short bow met thunderous silence.

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A/N: Well, what can I say... I was bored, 'an that idea kinda sorta popped into my head 'an -won't shut up~~!-


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** For the record, google up (or w/e) Ran Yakumo, to see what the dress/Death-hat is 'sposed to look like(if your imagination is as bad as my ability to describe things ~; ) 

"So... relative of yours, Ino-pig...?"

"Bite me, forehead girl!"

/

/flashback:Hokage's Office

The early-morning sun shone down brightly upon the village hidden in the leaves. Sunlight streaming through the wide windows clearly illuminated the scene in the office of the legendary third fire-shadow. The man honored as the God of Shinobi sat behind an ancient wooden desk, currently devoid of the towering mounds of paperwork. A large pipe wafted a thin trail of smoke upwards, as the old man silently watched the individuals standing before him.

"... and then I said, I was -talking- to the monkey!" A chorus of laughter rippled amongst the gathered shinobi.

Stifling his chuckling, the old man called the ninja to attention. "Now, as you are all aware, today is the graduation for the newest batch of genin. I wish to hear any particular preference you might all have for your students." he paused for a moment, puffing on his pipe as he considered. Glancing up at the clock, he realized. 'She's late...'

"Kakashi, if you would...?"

"Yes, Hokaga-sama. I request the Uchiha to be assigned to me, I have no other interest beyond him." The council was very adamant about that situation. Konoha -needs- the Sharingan, and who better to train the last Uchiha than one in possession of it. Apart from that, allowing the one-eyed jounin to bond with the child, could only help in creating enough trust to avoid any potential problems once his eyes were active. Other than that, the overall disappointing genin-hopefuls just didn't catch his attention.

Barring the Hyuuga heiress, of course... though Kurenai might castrate him if he stole the kid from her. Kami knows it wouldn't be the first time he's annoyed the newly-minted Jounin. He shuddered at the repressed memories.

"Duly noted." The hokage was fully aware of the cyclops' briefing. The requests from the assembled Jounin continued; three others showed significant interest in the potential sharingan-user, though were swiftly denied. "Now, Kurenai?"

"Yes. I request the Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and the Hyuuga heiress. I feel these three would make an excellent tracking team."

"Hm... I see, thank you." Taking down some final notes, Sarutobi then informed them. "Asuma, I am sorry to inform you, that your desire for the second generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio will not be. There is no way to make the other teams viable if we remove those three."

"I understand, Hokage-sama." The bearded Jounin sighed. 'Damn... what a waste.'

"Kakashi, you will be assigned the Uchiha boy, as well as Chouzo's son, and one Sakura Haruno."

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

"Kurenai... you are assigned Tsume's boy, as well as the Aburame and Nara heirs."

"And the Hyuuga, Hokage-sama?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot assign that one to you. I understand you are close to the young Hyuuga, however..."

"But Hokage-sama!" she all but shouted out. She had promised Hinata, dammit!

A single upraised palm halted her building tirade.

"As you may now be aware, we are at an uneven number of graduates. As such, both the council and myself have decided... Inochi's girl and Hinata Hyuuga, will be placed on the same team."

"Just those two?" The old man smirked at the clipped tone coming from the resident Genjutsu mistress.

"Yes." he was having far too much fun annoying Kurenai. "Their instructor is to be Namikaze Naruko."

Silence.

"WHAT?" A half-dozen shouts echoed at once.

"Are you serious, old man?" The bearded jounin abandoned all sense of propreity as he demanded a reply. The office erupted into chatter; several conversations and comments blending into a cacophony of madness.

A single comment, from one Ebisu, sliced through the noise. "Why would you risk exposing those children to the Demon, Hokage-sama?"

Silence.

The majority of the individuals in that office were more than aware of the reputation the resident demon-container possessed. If anything, they were concerned about burdening the young blonde with teaching a group of genin. Needless to say, the fact that both kunoichi-hopefuls were -older- than their would-be instructor wouldn't help the situation. The highly-polarized and needless comment did nothing to gain the pompous jounin any allies.

"What was that...?" the danger underscoring the too-calmly spoken question was overlooked by the man.

"It seems a foolish risk. Who knows what the Demon could do to mere children, Hokage-sama! Isn't it bad enough you refuse to force it to hold it accountable for it's crimes?"

"Ebisu! Hold your tongue!" The power in the man's voice was unmistakable. Anger flowed freely. Though in the ears of those familiar with him, the undercurrent of despair could be heard.

Momentarily ignoring the jounin's outburst, he continued. "I trust this is acceptable to you, Kurenai?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I could not ask for a better situation."

'It's late.' the old man realized, as he glanced at the time again. 'She is far too late.'

"That is all for now. Those assigned a team, I trust you are aware of the procedure?" A round of nods met him. "Understood. You are all dismissed." The assembled ninja filed out.

A deep mournful sigh erupted from the man known as the Professor. His eyes sought out the likeness of both his predecessor and successor. Golden hair framed the face of the late fourth-hokage. Piercingly blue eyes seemed to stare accusingly at the tired old man.

'I am sorry, Minato... it seems no matter what, she will never be accepted here.'

The man made a sharp gesture, within moments the masked figure of one of the Konoha ANBU-corps knelt before him.

"I need you to locate and retrieve Naruko for me."

"Understood, Hokage-sama." the uniform of the ANBU, while perfect for concealing the individual, did nothing to hide the obviously female voice echoing from the mask. In a swirl of leaves, she disappeared.

/

The Namikaze Estate

While not the largest or most luxurious of clan-compounds by far, the Namikaze estate held it's own all the same. Designed for a dozen or more inhabitants, the once-populated home stood nearly empty; only a single individual resided there now. The massive gates had rusted shut, in their neglect. Once intimidating on their own, the passage of time left them oxidized and worthless, the headstone to a fallen clan. A massive tree stood in the inner courtyard, a forgotten sentinel.

Jumping over the entrance, the masked ANBU arrived. Quickly walking past the overgrown grass and weeds, she entered the compund.

Like an overbearing strike, the musty smell of forgotten knowledge filled the air. Piled to the roof in some places, stacks of books stood everywhere. Some she could read the title of, though the majority might as well have been scribbles. The ground itself was obscured by the myriad tomes, a small path existed across the room, but even with her ability, she had to strain to maintain balance and avoid knocking anything down. The dim lighting, on account of the blocked windows, did nothing to ease her passage.

"How can she live in a place like this..." the masked ANBU shook her head, this wasn't the mission. Calling out to the inhabitant, a dozen rooms were thusly explored. Most of them in the exact same condition as the first.

'There must be -thousands- in here...' the slightly-awed thoughts of the woman echoed in the silence. Nearly ten minutes of searching later, she came across what was clearly the only used bedroom.

The fact that it was the only one with a bed gave the fact away. As did the dresser left wide-open.

Against her better thoughts, she was lured towards the pile of clothing strewn haphazardly upon the ground.

"Oh my..." she voiced out loud as she came across a particularly appealing article. Gloved hands running over the silk, fingers tracing the elaborate patterns of the sleeve.

In a flash, her admiration turned to professional interest.

"Wait a second... why would clothing this fine be thrown all over the ground? Something isn't right here..." The stacks of books meticulously cared-for gave her an idea as to the personality of the resident. In the far corner of the room beside the bed, a clue as to the situation greeted her. While every other room was treated more as a storehouse than anything, she would have imagined that the books kept in her private bedroom would have been the most well-maintained. The pile strewn haphazardly beside the undone bed stood out far more than made the ANBU comfortable.

'Wait a sec... the front gates were sealed... noone came to pick her up... she can't jump over them... CRAP IN A HAT!' In a blur of leaves, she disappeared. Dread filling her stomach as she landed on the roof of the building.

"Where could she be?" Cold sweat beaded down her mask, somehow. "This can't be good..."

/

The silence in the office of the third hokage was shattered, along with his window, as a -slightly- distraught kunoichi dove through it.

"Hokage-sama, we've got a problem!"

Snapping out of his mid-day nap (A tradition passed down the kage-line for generations). "What is it? Report."

Taking a moment to calm her breathing, she reported her findings to the old man. "And I looked -everywhere- on the way here. She's nowhere to be found."

Without a word in reply, the old man reached into a side-compartment of his ancient desk. The legendary [Orb of Wonders (Tm)] was thus loosed upon the world. Granted, the orb itself didn't -do- anything... but appearances need to be maintained, dammit! The chanting, however... yeah, I've got nothing, the old man was still half asleep.

"Now let me see..." a dozen scenes flashed through the crystal, incomprehensible to any but the Professor. To his absolute horror, however.. the orb darkened. The pitch-black color seemed to absorb the light, and meant something far worse to the hokage. {SUBJECT NOT FOUND}

The face of the third hokage seemed to age a dozen years at the flashing words.

Within moments, the commander of the ANBU special-ops knelt before the venerable leader. Speaking to both gathered shinobi, he snapped out his orders with practiced ease.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" the perfectly timed reply from both individuals roared out, the instant before twin swirls of leaves replaced them.

Allowing himself a moment of weakness, the far-too-old-for-this-job ninja fell back into his throne-like chair.

His orders were simple enough, even if the scope of them would give him more than a slight reprimand from the council. 'Bah... that's why I'm the Hokage.' he consoled himself.

Glancing out the window, he could see the near-countless blurs darting about. by his estimation, two-thirds of the shinobi of the hidden leaves were currently in retrieval-mode. The ANBU themselves, were busy patrolling every inch of those walls. Noone got in, or out. Which is where the headache came in. The civilian council, dealt with all matters pertaining to the economy. Import/Export, tariffs and taxes... sure, the Hokage had the last word, but that was mostly a formality. By effectively sealing the border, he brought the economy of Konoha to a stand-still.

While normally, such an action would have been highly unlikely for something as simple as being late... he knew that despite everything she'd done so far, the majority of the villagers would never see past the Kyuubi's actions. He glanced at a gold-leafed letter on the vast surface of the desk.

"Kumogakure would like to humbly request the presence of the Living Saint, for the..." the letter went on for eleven pages.

'If I keep sighing like this, I'm going to end up deflating...' The light-hearted thought helped ease his conscience as he once again chose to deny the request. He was even almost able to avoid looking at the portrait of the Fourth.

/

Tonbo Mibu was an average ninja. A chuunin by rank, he had taken almost seven years to rise from a gennin. While not old enough to have fought against the Kyuubi so many years prior, his parents had. His mother died that fateful night, as did his father several years afterward. Regardless of the fact that she died of chakra exhaustion as a medic, he saw both of their deaths as being the fault of the container.

And now, it seems like Kami is finally giving him a chance for revenge. Like everyone at chuunin-rank and above, they had all been informed of their current mission. The kyuubi-brat was missing.

A wicked smile crossed his face. 'With all these foreigners that foolish old man is allowing into our beloved village... why, it's no surprise that these are dangerous times... It'd be a real shame if someone manages to kill that bitch.'

A plan began forming in his mind. Find the container... kill the worthless demon, and blame it on the foreigners.

'This'll be perfect... Ahahaha!'

/

flashback+1 Minus Ten years; Hokage's office

From the first days the great tower in the center of the village stood, the office of it's leader the Fire-Shadow, the room stood in stasis. Over the decades, the only thing that changed, was the man behind the desk, and the portraits upon the walls. On occasion, an over-enthusiastic shinobi would enter through the windows and cause discord and/or chaos temporarily, but it eventually returned to normal.

Currently, the third such shadow of fire sat behind his desk. Crimson and white robes upon his aged body, the wide hat placed carefully to the side. The desk itself, a massive wooden construct lay devoid of paperwork. In it's place, an intricately carved chess-board sat.

To the opposite end of the set, an almost painfully tiny little girl sat. A light-blue dress clothed her, while an oversized hat lay upon her golden hair, from his angle it was nearly obscuring the adorable whisker-marks upon her face. Ten years to their future, this would be the hat-like object that still covered her head.

For the life of him, Sarutobi had -no- idea where she'd found it. The strange thing had the basic shape of an outdated piece of fashion known as a Mob Cap. (he didn't get it either) In fact, if he strained his withered brain, he could vaguely remember his -Grandmother- wearing one. Distorting the basic rounded shape, a twin-pair of horn-like objects stood. Or... vaguely ears, technically... There were two cones on the damn hat, leave him alone!

-cough-

The cloth was pure white, with strange rectangles placed upon it, at random locations. He'd almost consider them patches, if not for the fact that he could just barely translate the scribbles etched in golden ink upon the charms.

Currently, her azure-hued eyes glared at the chess-board.

Her tiny hand grasped a pawn, and slid it forward. The hokage retaliated by taking her rook with his bishop.

Black knight charged blindly forward, only to be bested by a lowly pawn.

The seemingly one-sided game continued for several minutes in silence. The little girl broke the peace, with the one question he hoped never to have to answer.

"Who is the Kyuubi...?"

The mind of one of the most fearsome shinobi to have ever walked the earth, a man said to have mastered every Jutsu in the world, a mind capable of memorizing even the most minute details in any technique.. shut down at the sheer volume of panic overwhelming him.

Noticing the blank stare, and the slight drool beginning to drain from the old man's mouth, the adorable little girl reached up... and rearranged the chess-pieces.

In moments, he snapped back to sentience. For an instant, there was something about the chess-board that called to him.

'Saruutoobiiii' it almost said. 'Looook at meeeee! She cheeeaaaateeeed!'

What? That adorable little girl, with the most innocent blue eyes he'd ever seen? Something so precious -cheat-? Nah...

"So, the Kyuubi..." he began, switching easily to his 'Professor'-tone of voice, as he absentmindedly moved a piece. "Four years ago, the fearsome beast attacked our beloved village until the heroic actions of the fourth hokage ended it's life." He silently praised himself, he hadn't messed up even once in his small story.

White knight captured a pawn.

"So... then who is it that keeps talking in my head?"

The old man could have sworn his heart stopped beating, for a moment. The kyuubi was trying to control her? Was she the kyuubi already? A thousand similar thoughts burst across his mind, though in his wisdom, he decided to question further before saying anything incriminating.

"Do you mean like in a dream, little one?" He waited with bated breath, for the reply.

"No... it talks to me sometimes. Tells me all sorts of stories."

"Li-like what...?" His words were in stark contrast to his thoughts. 'Oh no... Minato... what am I going to do... If the kyuubi is taking control of your daughter, it could mean the end of us all...'

"Well... there was this story she told me, once... About this really short... but really mean lady. And she'd laugh when she acted evil..." She halted her narration, to replicate the sound "Ohohohoho..." tiny hand beside her mouth, in a picture-perfect noblewoman-laugh.

Needless to say, the old man was struck speechless. "So... she tells you bedtime stories...?" all things being considered, the revelation that the kyuubi was in-fact female, made little to no difference to him.

"Well... she did sorta say... that I should train to be a super-ninja... Something-something..." her eyes squinted in concentration was probably the most adorable sight the old man had ever seen. "She said I could learn her "Forbidden Devil-Dragon God-Slayer Death-Reaper"-style.. thing"

He blinked at the awesome-sounding name.

"It sounds really dumb. Like someone trying too hard to sound cool..."

Black pawn bested a white one.

"So... did the voice want anything in return for teaching you...?" This was the crucial point. The fox could probably turn this little girl into one of the most powerful shinobi of all time, but it depended on her reply.

"I don't care. It sounds dumb. I don't wanna do it."

"Even if you could be strong?"

"Why would I care about something dumb like that? I'd rather read or play with you than run around sweating and headbutting things."

'Well... that was a unique response...' While she did lack the sort of... enthusiasm he would have preferred, he just assumed it was because she was a girl. Kami knows a boy her age would look for any reason to fight or something. His own son had been enough of a headache in that field, so this girl being more intellectually inclined would probably be for the best. After all... not like he'd regret it in ten years, right?

A cold shiver ran down his spine, though he chose to ignore it.

White queen stepped forward, her blank gaze threatening the very existence of the dark King.

"So who -is- the Kyuubi? You never answered..."

With a deep sigh, and a strange sense of deja-vu at this action, he decided to be honest. "While the heroism of the fourth was great... he couldn't do more than just seal the spirit of the beast, his newborn." With growing horror, he realized his slip. Praying against hope that the precocious girl before him, missed his ill-placed comment.

"Does that mean the fourth hokage was my daddy?"

'Crap in a hat.' He paused at the absurdity of that image, before confirming his mistake. "Yes. I understand if that upse-"

"Cool. Does that mean I'm rich?"

"ts... huh...?"

"Well... if my dad was famous.. wouldn't that mean I get all his cool stuff?"

Stalling for time, the old man decided to study the chessboard for a moment instead. "Well, technically yes... but village law states that you would receive your inheritance only until you turn seventeen years of age, or are granted the rank of..." at that point in time, he made the mistake of glancing into the little girl's eyes.

In every single village, the technique the girl used would be instantly categorized as a double-S ranked forbidden technique. Far too powerful to be used, and extremely dangerous in the hands of -anyone-. Unfortunately for the aged Hokage, the girl not only knew it... but mastered it to the point of perfection.

[Death by Moe]

'Must... resist the evi-' with a dull thud, Sarutobi collapsed onto the desk. The adorable blue-clad girl took the chance to once-again rearrange the board.

Several minutes later, the old man once again was awaken by the phantom cries of his chess-board. Foolishly disregarding it again, he decided at that moment, to do anything he could for the little girl. He owed the fourth at least that much.

One thought permeated his mind, however.

"I though you told me you liked your new apartment, though?" His opponent squinted in concentration before replying.

"I lied." Staring dumbfounded at the girl, his heart -did- stop at her next comment. "Checkmate"

"I... what?" the placement of the pieces agreed with her declaration. The most revered man in the entirety of the village hidden in the leaves... -LOST- to a four year old.

'If Minato was still alive, he might die of laughter.'

'Iiiii toooollddd yooouuu sooooo~~!'

He glared accusingly at the inanimate board.

/

[End ancient flashback]

/

Hopping from building to building, the purple-haired trenchcoat-wearing woman kept an eye out for wayward friend. Lost in her own thoughts, she nearly overlooked one particular establishment.

To any passerby, shinobi or civilian alike, the small storefront would call noone's attention. Racks of books stood near the entrance, though none of them being the brightly colored and flashy-designed magazines that so flooded the minds of the youth. Nor did they contain the decription to a myriad of techniques. Hell, the majority of them weren't even in english. Or japanese... whatever... ninja-words.

While nothing seemed out of place, the woman nevertheless decided to investigate further. Squeezing through several cramped aisles, a flash of white at the very far end rewarded her diligance. Standing in the far back of the store, lost in the dusty pages before her stood what was probably the most important person in her life.

Rubbing the unblemished flesh of her neck, a smile played on her face as she stared at her sister-in-all-but-blood. A fake scowl replaced it, as she moved to confront the incident-causing hat-wench. That damn hat was mocking her, even now!

"Where the F'ck have you been?" Her subtle comment directed at the oblivious teen before her. The false irritation quickly turned real, as she was promptly ignored. "I said 'Wh-"

Her repetition was halted by the simple command from behind the book. [Silence]

"Language, please...?" Eyes never leaving the quickly-turning pages, she admonished the over-excitable Jounin.

Devoid of vulgar (or any other) words, she decided to make up for it with a vast array of imaginative hand/arm gestures.

Honestly, even if someone manage to clone her, then make her eleven and a half times as sadistic as she currently was... she -still- wouldn't admit under torture, to how impressed she was at Naruko's reading speed. Hell, when she arrived, she noticed the blond having just picked the book up. And it wasn't a tiny book, neither. She noticed. Looked like a damn phonebook, it did.

And it took what... two minutes for her to finish the blasted thing. So instead of staring in awe(and slight envy) she decided to continue her one-man rumba. That's what it looked like anyway.

The snapping of the cover as it was closed, halted her mid-dance. Stepping forward, she brushed her fingertips against the silent Jounin's mouth.

"ARGH, I hate when you do that!" Snapping at the still-exposed digits, her far-superior speed caught them in her mouth. The blonde's eyes narrowed behind her rounded glasses, as she stared up at the irritated woman. Moments later, they snapped fully open, as she felt the older woman's tongue tracing the sides of her fingers.

[Thunder]

The extremities of the woman twitched momentarily, her mouth opening in surprise. Shock, even...

"Ooh... do it again.."

Shaking her head instead of replying, the thin strands at the end of the cone/ear-things of the hat taunted the jounin.

"So, where the... hell have you been? You any idea how much trouble you've caused?" She hesitated before cursing again, wary of that damnable silence of hers.

"Why...? I am doing nothing wrong." Another book was in her hands, eyes dancing across the page.

"You're not at home!"

"No... I am in a bookstore."

A massive sweatdrop formed on the back of the woman's head. Sometimes... it was -really- hard to tell if Naruko was making fun of her, or was really that awkward. The fact that she never liked to speak out of a damn monotone did nothing for her nerves.

"But, I mean like... you've never NOT been dragged out into the sun, like... ever!"

"... what?"

The sudden arrival of the village's resident Genjutsu-mistress saved Anko from having to articulate while that damnable hat insulted her ancestors... or something. She wasn't exactly fluent in Hat.

"What she means, Namikaze-sama..."

"Don't call me that." Anko cursed her long-time friend for being able to so easily distract the blonde from her book, even if for a moment.

Kurenai's amused smile taunted the over-excitable jounin further. "What she meant, is that of all the times anyone has known you, the only way to get you out of the compound, was to physically carry you out. But here you are -now-, leaving of your own free-will."

"They grow up -so- fast!" Anko's teary-eyed outburst was completely ignored.

"I did not know I needed to inform my empty home as to my actions." Both older women were somewhat silenced, as they remembered the young blonde's situation in the village. Anko bounced back quickly, and fired off a question of her own.

"Weren't you gonna go for the genin-team assignments? How'd you end up in here." To her unhidden delight, she -finally- got some emotion outta the brat. If not for her near-deathly pallor, she would have completely missed the embarrassed flush across her features alongside the glasses going opaque.

"I... was distracted."

"You know... most girls would be chasing after boys, rather than books..." An annoyed glance was all she spared at the thought. As if she'd waste precious reading time on something so completely idiotic. Hmph.

A short burst of laughter later, Anko spoke again. "C'mon you brat, let's get you outta here."

"No." was her only reply.

"Ok... we're doing this the hard way..." She lunged forward, hefting the small girl onto her shoulder. "Ack! Nooo my precious books!" Her hands grasped futily at the air, writhing in agony at being separated from her reason for existing.

The trenchcoat-sporting woman sighed at her misfortune, even as Kurenai giggled at the situation. "Why couldn't you have been some annoying orange-wearing punk instead of a damn hikkikomori, you brat!"

[Thunder II]

The purple-haired woman's moan halted the attack. "Any more than that Naru, 'an I'm gonna need you to propose... or at least buy me a drink, first."

Her cackling overshadowed the smaller woman's grumbling.

/

[Outside The Academy]

Standing on her own two legs, once again, the blonde demon-container smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress. Glaring in irritation again at the way-too-happy woman. Said woman currently folding up a large white banner, while attaching kunai at strategic points.

"This is such a foolish idea." Her fingers itched for the feel of a book against them, though this damnable woman forbid any reading for the time being.

"Bah, it'll be great, trust me!"

To Naruko's intense displeasure, she once again took the priority seats on the Anko-express. By which she tried her hardest to avoid biting her own tongue, as she was hefted underarm.

The semi-mad cackles of the Jounin filled the air, the instant before shattered glass joined it.


End file.
